Elite. High class. Sophisticated. Did you think of beer?

Stella Artois, a Belgian company that produces both beer and glasses, has created a simple and sophisticated ad. In this ad, a glass of what appears to be beer with the bright red and gold Stella Artois logo stands out against the plain, off-white background. Above the glass, the phrase “Less a glass, more a display cabinet.” is typed in a simple, bold black text. The Stella Artois logo is printed in the lower right corner with the words, “She is a thing of beauty” beneath in a thin italic black font. “Always Enjoy Responsibly” has been placed in the lower left corner above their copyright information in extremely small plain black print.

To make this ad appealing to potential customers, the company uses persuasion techniques. One persuasion technique used is the idea of association. “Less a glass, more a display cabinet.” is printed above the glass. Display cabinets hold prized possessions—like fine china, collectibles, or trophies—that people feel the need to show off. The idea that the pictured glass serves as a display cabinet is implying that the Stella Artois beer is a treasure to be flaunted. This company wants to show that their beer should be considered high class, and elite. Seeing this beer as high class may bring more low and middle class customers, but they will realize that the price isn’t worth being able to feel a sense of fake sophistication for the duration of one glass of beer.

The technique of glittering generalities is also used in this ad. “She is a thing of beauty” is printed in the lower right corner. People viewing the ad will automatically accept that beer has been compared to a woman because the idea of comparing something you admire to women is overused. If you truly consider what this statement means, you will most likely be confused. In what ways do women compare to beer? Beer doesn’t have a good sense of fashion. Beer doesn’t have well-done makeup. Beer doesn’t have a glowing smile.

Card stacking is used in this ad as well. The overall impression presented in this ad is that drinking Stella Artois beer will make the consumer feel sophisticated and high class. What should be depicted in the ad is that drinking can cause liver failure, jail time, and death. To accurately describe the effects of drinking, the ad should include a man imprisoned to serve his sentence for drunk driving and vehicular homicide, while dying of liver failure.

Some issues presented that don’t require a deeper analysis are where to purchase the product, and how much the product costs. There isn’t a website or a store location provided in the ad. The fact that this company is Belgian could discourage potential customers, because they may assume it’s only available in Belgium.

After further research I found that this beer costs $17.49 for a 12 pack. To put this in perspective, a 12 pack of Miller Light costs an average of $11.89. Stella Artois is about $5 more expensive when compared to another popular beer. Although this doesn’t seem like a large amount of money, when buying Stella Artois rather than Miller Light it will easily add up. This concept may turn away their potential lower and middle class customers.
People who are struggling with an alcohol addiction or who have been imprisoned for alcohol related crimes may be offended by this ad due to the fact that Stella Artois attempts to make drinking appear glamorous. This group of people know the effects of alcohol, and are aware of how bad drinking can be. Women may also be offended by this ad because they have been compared to an addictive substance that can lead to death.

This ad challenges the stereotype of the type of people who drink beer. An old bottle of wine with crystal clear glasses and a candlelit dinner come to mind when thinking of sophistication. Rowdy football fans taking a moral holiday come to mind when thinking of beer. These two concepts don’t match.

Although this ad may lure some people in, after further examination and analysis the majority of people would most likely be turned away from this company. The idea that drinking is high class is a horrible misconception. Alcohol ruins lives everyday, and will continue to ruin lives until people realize that drinking isn’t as simple as ads like this Stella Artois ad leads viewers to believe. Beer can’t make you sophisticated or high class. It can, however, make you terminally ill.